Over half of UK doctors have noticed an increase in the amount of patients attempting to make fraudulent claims, LV car insurance reported.
60% of the GPs surveyed noticed an increase in the amount of patients who they believed were exaggerating their injuries, with 87% even reporting ‘patients’ who completely made their injuries up.
The study comes after criticism from both the Prime Minister and insurance companies about the countries growing ‘compensation culture’.
According to the research, the rise in attempted fraudulent claims can be partly attributed to the strong arm tactics of personal injury lawyers and claims management companies. Half of all Brits say they were contacted out of the blue last year by one of these companies stating they may be able to make a claim, regardless of whether they had been in an accident or not.
As for those who have been injured in a car accident in the past 12 months, 60% say they were pestered by a lawyer or claims management company following the incident trying to persuade them to make a claim using their services. This could suggest claims companies are being passed information from third parties ‘in the know’ at the scene of the accident.
In fact, 53% of GPs said that they were contacted in 2011 by claims companies asking to buy patient details.
The research suggests a worrying attitude exists towards fraud in the UK, despite authorities taking a tough line on financial claims in 2011.
“Attempted fraudulent personal injury claims waste time and money,” said John O’Roarke, managing director of LV car insurance.
“GPs have increasingly large workloads and should not have to deal with fraudsters attempting to make a fast buck at the expense of law abiding motorists. Attempting to make a compensation claim when you do not have an injury is against the law and could lead to a hefty fine or prison sentence.”
